July 5, 2004 Former Gov. Don Siegelman, center, holds hands with his daughter Dana, left, and wife Lori, right, while Attorney Doug Jones, front, addresses the media on July 5, 2004 at the law firm of Whatley Drake. A federal judge kicked-off Jones from Siegelman's case alleging that he saw confidential material while he was a U.S. Attorney.

U.S. Senate candidate Doug Jones testified in 2007 that "partisan politics" drove the prosecution of former Gov. Don Siegelman.

"There is no question in my mind that the Department of Justice in Washington was behind the investigation," Jones said 10 years ago, according to The Nation.

Siegelman, a Democrat who has proclaimed his innocence on corruption charges, spent four-and-a-half years in prison. The former governor was released from federal prison earlier this year.

Jones delivered his statements of support during a hearing held by a Congressional subcommittee on the judiciary. Jones said officials involved in the prosecution indicated early on that they hoped they could unearth evidence of corruption in the Siegelman administration, even before such proof existed.

"It seemed that no sooner had the ink dried on his oath of office, investigators and certain lawyers with the Alabama Attorney General's office targeted Gov. Siegelman for investigation," Jones said.

Jones worked on Siegelman's defense team in 2004, and both men were active in the Alabama Democratic Party during that time, according to The Birmingham News.

Prior to his appearance before Congress, Jones worked as a U.S. attorney and a defense attorney specializing in white-collar crime. In private practice, he represented several politicians and public officials accused of corruption, including former Jefferson County Commissioner Chris McNair, former state Rep. Oliver Robinson and state Rep. John Rogers (D-Birmingham).

A federal judge ordered Jones off the Siegelman case because of his involvement in related cases during his time as U.S. attorney. Even though he did not represent Siegelman in 2007, Jones still spoke out against his conviction at the hearing about selective prosecution.

A jury convicted Siegelman in 2006 of selling a seat on a state health planning board to the CEO of a health care company in exchange for a $250,000 donation to the governor's lottery campaign. He was also convicted of obstruction of justice.

Siegelman received a six-and-a-half-year sentence for "pervasive corruption." He appealed, but appeals courts upheld prior rulings.

U.S. Attorney Leura Canary, wife of Republican activist Bill Canary, began the prosecution against Siegelman, but eventually recused herself. Another Alabama attorney, Dana Jill Simpson, alleged that GOP operative Karl Rove masterminded the prosecution, although he and Bill Canary have denied any involvement with the case.

Siegelman has maintained his innocence. His supporters appealed to former President Barack Obama, who declined to pardon him. A filmmaker even made him the subject of a documentary, Atticus v. The Architect: The Political Assassination of Don Siegelman, which has screened in several Alabama cities since its June 18 release.

When the indictment was released, "it was clear that prosecutors wanted to throw every conceivable charge against the Governor in hopes that something would stick," Jones said.

"Oversight in such a case is critical and statements to the contrary, as we have seen here, only highlight concerns that partisan politics played a significant, if not dominant role, in how this investigation proceeded," Jones said.

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